Tank for petroleum or other liquids



Oct. 13, 1936.

J. PEYROUZE TANK FOR PETROLEUM OR OTHER LIQUIDS Filed Feb. 21, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 13, 1936. J. PEYROUZE 2,057,248

TANK FOR PETROLEUM OR OTHER LIQUIDS Filed Feb. 21, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented a. 13, i936 PATENT oFFic TANK FOR. PETROLEUM OR OTHER LIQUIDS I Jean Peyrouze, Asnieres, France ApplicationFebruary 21, 1936, Serial No. 65,116 In France March 14, 1935 8 Claims. (0!. 220-85) For the storage of petroleum, gasoline, oils or other liquids use is ordinarily made of metal .tanks, usually surface tanks, or of surface or underground masonry tanks.

Now, the former must support the total weight of the liquids they contain, they present serious risks of catching iire, and their high cost price,

as well as the maintenance they necessitate constitute appreciable inconveniences particularly 10 when important quantities of liquids are to bestored.

Concerning masonry tanks, surface or underground tanks, it is difficult, in the case of large capacities, to give them a sufficient and durable 15 fluid-tightness, especially when they are to contain liquids such as those above mentioned.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved underground tank, devised for avoiding all these'inconveniences that is to in say of simple and economical construction, and

'having. a perfect fluid-tightness, even for the largest capacities.

This tank comprises a casing made of rustless metal, open at the top and bottom, the

; periphery of which fits against the vertical walls of a masonry chamber and the lower ,edge of which is immersed in a volume of water. con-\ tained-in the bottom of this chamber.

According to the present invention, the metal casing is constituted by a series of vertical strips the side edges of which are inwardly curved and secured against each otherrthese' vertical strips are hung from the masonry chamber by connecting members which do not exert on these strips any restraining action, inch for instance as pivoted and resilientmemers.

Owing to these arrangements,rthe"casing is protected against any strain caused by expan- 40 sions and contractions and it can be constructed of very thin sheet metal, consequently it is light and economical.

In fact, the curved edges of the sheet metal plates, which alone do not bear against" the 45 masonry wall, can easily become distorted by variation of their radius of curvature; which is chosen sufficiently large, for following the expansions and contractions of the metal in the peripheral direction, and the suspension mem- 50 bars allow the metal to freely expand and contract in the vertical direction, because the pressure of the sheet metal plates against the masonry is slightowing to the hydrostatic back pressure and because the nature of the suspen- ,55-' sion members allows the vertical tensions tocasing 2.

approximately balance each other at all suspension points. 4

The accompanying drawings, given by way of example only, illustrates two embodiments of the invention.

Fig. l is a vertical section made according to line I -I of Fig. 2, showing the first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section made according to line II-II of Fig. l. I

Fig. 3- is a partial horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, at a joint of the casing.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a drawing up device.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the second embodiment. a Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section, on an enlarged scale, at a point of suspension.

Fig. 7 isa perspective view of a suspension device. 2

V In Figs. 1 to 3, I designates an underground chamber or masonry pit, the complete watertightness of which is not indispensable.

In this pit I is arranged a fluid-tight bottomless casing 2, made for instance of rustless steel, and supported at a certain distance )1. above the bottom of the pit i.

It is assumed, in this example, that the pit l and casing 2 have cylindrical shapes, but these shapes although generally preferred for the convenience of construction, ar'enot of course in any way compulsory, and they can be modified in any suita blemanner according to the particular case's contemplated.

The bottom of the pit 8 contains a layer of 'water E-in which the "base of the casing 2 isimmersed.

The liquid P to be stored is poured into the It floats on the water E, whilst the latter rises in the interstices comprised between 40 the casing and the inner wall of pit I.

This arrangement is adapted to avoid any contact between the liquid P and the masonry,

strips are assembled as follows: I

dial displacements of the edges 2a in the -di- Their side edges 2a, rai iially disposed at the inner periphery of t casing, are inwardly curved, and the adjac t edges of two adjacent strips are fitted one against. the other on a certain width and assembled preferably by means of one or more continuous welds such as 2b.

A perfectlyfiuid-tight joint is thus obtained, in which the means used for the assemblage are stressed in much more satisfactory conditions than in ordinary tanks: the pressure of the liquid presses in fact the edges 20. one against the other and compresses the assembling means 2b instead of causing them to be subjected to a tensile or shearing stress, as

radius, which allow the casing to freely expand or contract without the metal being subjected from fact to supplementary stresses: in fact, owing to the arcuate sections 20, these expansions or contractions simply produce rarection of the-arrow F, or in reverse direction.

The dimensions of the whole are such that, for the maximum contraction contemplated, the

casing preserves the arrangement illustrated and 1 remains pressed against the inner wall of the pit, so as to always be stressed in the conditions described.

This casing is freely hung in the pit by means so devised that they do not exert any stress on the metal. In the example under consideration, these means consist in hooks 5 from which the casing is hung through the medium of rings 6 secured to its upper edge.

The casing can be very easily fitted in position on the spot by separately hanging the wound strips from the hooks i, by unwinding these strips and assembling them by their edges according to the arrangement described.

Under theipressur'e of the liquid P stored in r the tank, the water E which ensures fluid-tightthepit I. Y This water has in particular for eifect to balness at the base of the casingrises, about this casing, in the empty spaces I existing between the arcuate sections'2c and the inner wall of ance the internal pressure on the arcuate sections 20, and to avoid the latter being distorted.

Itistobenotedthahexceptinthecaseof important water leakage, the variations of level of the hydraulicseal remain very small, whatever may be those of the level of the liquid P, considering the reduced volume of the spaces 1 enclosing the-water columns balancing the pressure of this liquid P.

' The plant is completed by the followim devicm:

Adjacent to the tank is provided a pumping chamber, in which are arranged two reversible sucking and forcing pumps, viz: a pump [for supplying and evacuating the liquid P, and a pump 9 adapted to compensate the leakage of the water E and to maintain the hydraulic seal as narrow as possible, and the orifice of the conduit 10 connecting the pump 8 to the tank is at a level h; as low as possible above the level of the hydraulic seal, so that nearly the totality of the liquid P contained in the tank can be taken up by pump 8. This level It, must how- 'ever be suflicient in order that the pumping should not risk causing water priming into conduit l0.

For avoiding this inconvenience, the conduit Ill can be caused to open (Fig. 4) in a small auxiliary vat H the edge of which is at a level In above the water plane. The section of this vat relatively large. compared to that of conduit III, is adapted to avoid water priming upon pumping, and allows of considerably lowering the level ha. The orifice of conduit I is located, above the bottom ofvat II, at a level In suiiicient for preventing water from being suck ed into this conduit III in case water should accidentally enter vat II. The evacuation of this water can be ensured by a pump and a conduit l2, eventually in an.- automatic manner, by means of a constant level device.

- Fig. shows a modification which diifers from the tank described with reference to Figs. from the tank described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 in that the masonry'pit I3 is of annular shape," its central portion being occupied by a pillarl4 within which are provided a chamber l5 for the petroleum pump 8 and water pump 9 and a conduit l6 for a water pipe H, a petroleum pipe I! and an air pipe I 9. The metal casing 2 is constructed as previously described.

Each sheet metal strip is hung from a bracket 20' (Figs. 6 and 7) sealed in the' masonry, through the medium of a cross member 2| connected to .the upper edge of said strip by a plurality of rings 22, and to the bracket 20 by a screw-threaded rod 23 pivoted at 24 on the middle portion of this cross member and bearing on the bracket through nuts 25. The upper edge of the sheet metal strip is preferably reinforced by folding it or by arsheet metal band secured in position. The rings 22 freely pass through holes formed in the cross member 2| and in the upper edge of the sheet metal strip; they are of relatively large diameter so that they resiliently distort under the weight of the strip and that the suspension stresses are nearly uniformly distributed on the strip and on the cross member 2|. The suspension members of the casing have not been shown in Fig. 5, except at the place of the vertical section. 1

' The central pillar is also covered with a' metal casing 2d devised in a similar manner.

It is to be understood that the details of construction described above have been given solely by way of example, and it will be easy, without departing from the scope of the invention to make numerous modifications therein, particularly concerning the arrangement of the pit and fluid-tight casing, the means for absorbing the stresses exerted on'these two elements, the pumping device, etc.

I claim:

1. In a tank for petroleum or other liquids;

the. combination of a masonry pit provided with a bottom, a radially extensible casing, made of rustless metal, vertically placed within this pit, in contact with the vertical walls of the latter, and open at the top and bottom, means for hanging this casing within said pit so that its lower edge should be situated above the bottom of this pit, and a hydraulic seal in the bottom or aosmss claimed in claim 1, inwhlch said casing. hung within said pit. is composedof vertical strips placed side by side. and the two vertical edges of which are inwardly curved, the adjacent strips being connected together by welding their adiacent vertical edges.

3'.'A tank for petroleum or .other liquids, as claimed in claim within said pit. composed of vertical strips placed side by side and the two vertical edges of which are inwardly curved, each of the strips being joined at its vertical curved edges by arcuate sections having a large radius. oi curvature, the adjacent strips being connected together by welding their adjacent vertical edges.

4. A tank for petroleum or other liquids, as claimed in claim 1, in which a'tubeior evacuating and introducing petroleum opens in the bottom of said pit and above the level oi said hydraulic seal. and. another tube, for the admission of the liquid of said hydraulic seal, opens in said pit below the level of this hydraulic seal, and a pumping device for each of said tubes.

5. A tank for petroleum or other liquids, as

claimed in claim 1, in which a tube tor the discharge. and admission of petroleum opens in the bottom of a vat, this: vat being placed on the bottom or said pit and having upper edges placed above the level of said hydraulic seal, an another tube, for the admission of the liq- -ul of said hydraulic seal, opens in said pit,

, in which said casing. hung 8 chargeand admission ol petroleum opens in a ,vat and above the bottom of this vat. the latter beingplacedonthebottomotsaldpitand having upper edges placedabove the level'ot theliquid or said hydraulic seal, a tube tor evacuating the liquid of said hydraulic seal which has entered said vat and opening in the bottom oi the latter. and another tube. tor the admission of the liquid of saidhydraulie seal, opening in said pit below the level of said bydraulic seal, and a pumping device for each of said tubes.

'7. A tank for petroleum or other liquids, as claimedinclaim l,inwhichsaidcasingiscomposed of vertical strips placed side by side, means for hanging this casing within said-pit and having rings threaded in holes formed in the upper edge of each of said vertical strips.

horizontal cross members to which said rings are attached, brackets sealed in the vertical wall of said pit, above said casing, and means for attaching each of said cross members to one of said brackets.

8. A tank for petroleum or other liquids, as claimed in claim 1, having a central column made of masonry and devised for connecting the bottom of said pit to a vault covering the latter, a tube for the dischargeand admission 0! pctroleum. opening in the bottom or said pit and above the level oi said hydraulic seal, another tube for the admission of the liquid of said hydraulic seal. a pumping device for each of said tubes, this pumping devicebeing arranged in a chamber provided within .said central column and terminated at the top in a conduit adapted to contain pipelines extending from said pumping devices; 

